Starting the diet.

"freeborn"

writes:

Do you need to do the induction part or can you still lose weight by
cutting
down on carbs?

Even if you write your own program after reading the book(s), you should take 2
weeks to go very low carb, as most low-carb diets recommend. It helps you
detox, establish good eating habits, break addictions, and develop some
discipline.

I started cutting carbs while I was reading the lowcarb diet books
and by the time I had chosen to do Atkins and finish induction I
had lost 15 pounds.

I did something similar. I didn't know right away if I was going to do Atkins
or South Beach, but I knew they both eliminated sugar. So I cut sugar from my
diet, bought the books, read them, waited until after a dinner party, and went
low-carb.
My first week without sugar, I lost 8 pounds in 6 days.
My second week without sugar, I lost 1 pound.
My first week in SB phase 1, I lost 3 pounds.
My second week, I lost 1 pound.
Since then, it's been a half pound here, a half pound there.

This was the right approach for me, because 90% of my carb issues are with
sugar (the rest being white flour -- rice and potatoes don't seem to affect
me). So I broke the worst addiction and worst habit first. I also think it
would have been weird to continue my poor eating habits while reading the
books. So I felt like I was doing something in addition to reading.

Daria
166/145/140
sugar-free since 2/1/04
low-carb since 2/17/04

In article ,
says...
Do you need to do the induction part or can you still lose weight by cutting
down on carbs?



I've got a cousin who decided to eliminate 'everything white' from his
diet, and just keep a careful eye on the other carbs he was ingesting.
He eliminated sugar, white flour, white rice, potatoes and high carb
fruits like bananas, etc. In short, he focused on what he was eating and
kept to around 100 so-called 'good' carbs a day. Between April and
October he lost 50 pounds, and he's managed to keep it off by pretty much
monitoring his eating habits and not reverting back to his old ways.

Like any diet, you need to be dedicated to its success in order for it to
work. So no, you don't necessarily 'need' to go on the induction phase.
However, for a diet which essentially changes your body chemistry, the
way a low-carb diet does, it's a good idea to read one of the books on
the market so you have an understanding of exactly what is happening to
your body and why. You'll have a better chance of success if you
understand what it is you're doing that's working.
--
Donna
A pessimist believes all women are bad. An optimist hopes they are.